Johanna's Games
by firewaterspaceairearth
Summary: What happened in Johanna's games, and why she has to be so defensive.


_If you recognise it, it's not mine._

* * *

My name is Johanna Mason. I live in District 7. I have survived the Hunger Games. People are scared of me, but they can't hurt me anymore. After I won, they wanted to sell me. I refused. So they began to hurt the people I cared about. My mother. My sister. My best friend. And then, eventually, they killed them. I am not like the rest of them, the drunkards, the morphlings. I am invincible.

There is no-one left I love.

* * *

I never looked much like a threat. A small, slight girl with big brown eyes. So when my name was called, I played up the scared little girl thing. Sobbed, trembled,whispered. Yuck. Nobody knew just how good I was with an axe. I can throw one so hard that I cut the chimmney clean off our house once. So on the train I kept it up and my mentors totally believed the whole thing. My district partner was a tall seventeen year old with a huge shock of of ginger hair. Mason Delano .He had this token, a little metal chain with a silver heart on it. Probably from his girlfriend back home. I didn't have anything.

In the chariot rides, I shrank against the sides, looking down. We were dressed as trees. Again.

In training, I was itching to grab an axe but I made myself drop swords and spears, fail the tests and tie a massive knot which fell apart instantly. Terrifying stuff.

In my private sessions, I did barely anything. I mostly cowered in the corner acting like I was trying not to cry, that I was scared of them. My score came as no surprise. Three. This will either make me an easy target or completely forgettable.

In the interview, I said as little as possible, whimpering about home and how I missed the smell of pine trees. Caeser said not to worry, that I'd soon be back. It's really hard to take someone seriously when their hair, lips and eyelids are bright pink.

When the gong sounded in the arena, the first thing I did was spin round and run as far as I could, towards a small hill with a forest on it. Hopefully I could hide out there for a few days. I chose a tall tree with a good view of the Cornucopia. After about half an hour, the cannons sounded. One, two, three, four, five. All the way up to fifteen. That must be some kind of record. As I watch the hovercraft lift up body after body, I hear voices. "Do you think anyone came up here?"

The Careers. Now I am cursing myself for choosing the tallest tree on the hill. This is the first place they'll check. I look around frantically, for another option and the only thing I can think of is risky. If I don't get it right they will find me for sure. I pull a large pinecone off the branches around me and take my aim. As the Careers approach, I throw it as hard as I can to my right. It lands in a group of bushes, making a loud rustling sound as it rolls down the slope. Perfect. I quickly throw another after it, hearing the Careers move away to find out what the noise is. Before they can come back I slide down from the tree and begin to run as hard as I can. That night, I huddle under a pile of leaves and watch the faces of the dead tributes up in the sky. Both from Three, Five, Six. Mason, the boy from Seven, my... partner? Ally? Friend? I remember that silver heart token. As his shock of hair disappears from the sky, I pretend to let tears come. It will help with the whole scared tribute image. I look up to see the face of the boy from Twelve vanishing. Fifteen of us dead. Nine of us left. Let's hope it's over soon.

I do pretty well for the next few days. I find a small pool and use a stone to scrape bark from pine trees. I sleep in my little hollow covered in leaves. Every so often I hear a cannon and jerk back. By the time the Careers find me, there are only five of us left. The girl from Four and boy from One are dead. They surround me and I cower against a tree. The girl from Two has a large axe in her hands.

"Let's kill her now!"

The boy is joined by cheers from the others, but the girl from Two thinks a bit. If they kill me now, they will all turn on each other.

"Let's give the audience a show first. What district are you from?"

My voice trembles as I reply. "Se-Seven. "

The girl from Two grins.

"Axes, then? Try this. "

And she holds out the axe, handle first, towards me!

I stretch out my hand, making sure it's trembling, and take the handle. I act like it's so heavy I can't hold it, and they all begin to laugh.

"She's rubbish! I say we get it over with."

Then I straighten up, and hold it aloft. They only have time to look surprised before I swing it in a large circle, and the cannons sound. But no trumpets. Then I hear a twig snap and turn see the girl from Two trying to creep away. I call out to her.

"Thanks for the axe. "

She dies before she can run. A cannon blasts. And now I hear trumpets.


End file.
